Seventh Wheel
by Justine Lark
Summary: The Cullens are living in Forks, but before Bella arrives, Edward's definitely the odd man out. Still, there are times when they need his help! Each chapter is a separate story.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer._

* * *

Going to the meadow was one of the few activities that always relaxed me. It was peaceful and one of the few places I could count on being blessedly quiet. Not perfectly quiet, of course. The breeze ruffled the leaves, animals explored the forest, and birds communicated in the air. But these sounds did not trouble me the way the thoughts of others could, even those of my family.

Five of us were home at the moment. Alice and Jasper had gone into northern Canada for a few weeks. We had to spend months of the year in dreary classrooms, so we enjoyed ranging farther and spending the summer months outdoors in the wilderness, well away from humans who might catch sight of us in the wrong light. They had invited me to join them, but I didn't want to be a third wheel.

Of course, I was always a third wheel. A seventh wheel. I had my family's appreciation and respect for my gift, my intelligence and my self-control. I had their love. But I knew I was everyone's second favorite. Well, except for Rosalie. I ranked rather low in her affections, and the fact that I was aware of it was one more thing that bothered her about me. She didn't feel comfortable with her mind exposed to me. She knew I wasn't impressed with the contents. But I was in the meadow now, free of the relentless stream of thoughts. Lying on my back, I closed my eyes and began assembling the scraps of melody I was hearing in my head into a composition.

A new sound interrupted my thoughts. My cell phone was ringing. My father was calling.

"Carlisle? Is something wrong?"

"Edward, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Of course," I began. I was already on my feet.

"You're not going to like it," he warned.

"What do you mean?" I couldn't imagine what he had in mind.

"Edward," he said anxiously and then fell silent.

"What is it? Tell me, please. I can't hear your thoughts. I need to know."

He took a deep breath.

"You know I've never had to be involved in hiring decisions here at the hospital."

"Yes," I said in bewilderment.

"It's impossible for me. I can't decide who deserves a job. They all seem excellent to me. The ones who are turned away are disappointed. I have to try to stay out of the lobby when there are job applicants, because I end up taking them to the cafeteria for coffee and encouraging them, consoling them. Esme tells me I'm not doing them any favors that way, and I'm sure she's right. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and this kind of thing is really beyond me!" His voice was rising with stress.

"You haven't told me what you want me to do," I reminded him.

"Three finalists are coming this afternoon to interview for the open nurse position. Dr. Leonard is currently serving as the hiring committee, and she can't be here. Some type of family emergency. I think her husband's brother is going into rehab. Another relapse—"

"Dr. Leonard can't be there," I prompted.

"So _I_ have to interview them." He finally got to the point. "I suggested rescheduling, but the head of nursing says they really need the new staff. I was hoping you could come and assist me."

"Assist you how?"

"Edward, please consider my idea before you refuse. Will you do that for me?"

"Yes, of course I will." He must really expect me to object.

"I thought you could just sit in your car in the parking lot and listen in on the interviews. I have so much respect for your opinion. You could tell me what you think about the candidates."

"Carlisle, what do you mean exactly when you say 'listen in'?" He didn't answer. "You want me to listen to _everything_, don't you?"

"It would really help me. It would be good for the whole community, because that way we'd know the hospital had a really good nurse. Without you, I'd probably pick a bad candidate. My colleagues would be disappointed in my poor judgment, and the humans here might suffer." His rationalizations were not very convincing.

"That seems rather unethical."

"In what way?"

"Aren't there things you aren't supposed to ask about in a job interview? Marital status, for example. But I would probably know."

"You make a very good point," he replied, eager to dispel my concerns. "Naturally I would rely on you to share only your impressions of their professional qualities."

"I don't like this idea."

He sighed. "I expected you would say that. I really wouldn't ask if I believed I could manage well without you. I tried to call Alice. They're too far in the wilderness. I'm not sure if she could have told me anything useful anyway. The whole problem is a decision that hasn't been made yet, a decision I'm supposed to make."

My father was the most important person in my life. Of course I would do anything I could for him or any of the others. We watched out for one another, supported one another, protected one another. We were a team. A clan. A coven. A family.

"How about this?" I offered. "I'll come and _eavesdrop_, as you suggest. If you find you can make a choice without me, you won't ask. And if I don't hear anything that I think would help you decide, so be it."

"Thank you, son." His voice was filled with relief and gratitude, and I couldn't help feeling a surge of pride. Maybe I was doomed to be the seventh wheel, but the Cullens needed seven wheels to function. "That is all I'm asking. Just knowing that I have you to back me up makes a big difference. The interviews start at 2:00."

"I'll be there."

"One more thing," he said quickly.

"One _more_ thing?" I tried to remain patient, but I wasn't completely successful.

"When was the last time you hunted? Even in the parking lot of the hospital…" Oh, _that_.

"Don't worry," I assured him. "I'm safe."

* * *

I reclined the seat and closed my eyes. A passerby would see me taking a nap in my car. If they knew me, which many did, they would assume I was waiting for my father. It was easy for me to pick up the familiar tone of my father's thoughts. He was wondering whether I was in place, considering calling me to check, and reminding himself he had every reason to trust that I was keeping my word. I could call him to set his mind at ease. But he really should have faith in me.

It was too late anyway. The personnel administrator was escorting the first candidate to Carlisle's office. I watched with him as she came through the door. Her mouth fell open. _Is this for real? Is this some kind of stunt?_ She shook hands with Carlisle and took a seat, but she was very agitated. _Am I on camera? This man _cannot_ be just a doctor in this pokey town. _Carlisle opened the interview with some basic questions, and she answered automatically, but she was still completely absorbed by him. _He's wearing a wedding ring. That figures. But that doesn't always mean they're unavailable. _Ugh! I could see that she knew this from experience. In what looked like a hospital supply closet! Thankfully, she returned her attention to the present. _He's so attractive..._ _Jessica, get a grip. _I chuckled quietly. She had the same name as a rather tiresome classmate of mine, whose head was often filled with similar fruitless thoughts about me. It was a very common name, after all. _Would a man like that be interested in me? Not likely. But a girl can dream…_

Carlisle was ready to take her on a brief tour of the hospital. _I really want this job,_ she thought fervently. She paid close attention to everything he said. He explained the nursing rotations, the record-keeping system, and the atmosphere the staff tried to maintain. I was ready to catch any thoughts or memories related to nursing that passed through her mind, but the image of my father had completely crowded them out. _His eyes are amazing. _

"This is a small hospital, many fewer beds than St. Michael's," he said, referring to her previous employer in Seattle. "We expect nurses to be able to fill in where they're needed. Different shifts, even different departments sometimes. This is a real team environment."

_I'll work anytime you're here. _"Of course. That's the kind of job I'm looking for. I learned a lot at St. Michael's, but there was no opportunity to cross train."

"Do you have any questions?"

_Would you like to come over to my place tonight? _I rolled my eyes. "No, thank you. You answered all of them already. I'd love to come and work here."

Carlisle informed her when the hospital planned to make its decision. He thanked her for her time and showed her out. On the way back to his office to await the next candidate, he had some thoughts to share with me. _She seemed well-qualified, don't you think? They all seem very capable and dedicated. That's why I need your input._ I was starting to understand his predicament.

The next candidate was equally awestruck. _Gorgeous, polite, intelligent, probably rich. After all, he's a doctor! And married, of course. Are there more of them around here?_ I laughed. Yes, there were, but my brothers were also very happily married and I, well, besides being entirely unsuitable and a bit young for her by all outward appearances, I had no interest in romance. Carlisle was flipping through her file, and she took a moment to collect herself. _Stay focused. No matter what Mom says, I did not go into nursing to marry a doctor. And this one is taken anyway. _

"Melissa, please tell me about your background," Carlisle invited.

She had been working as a school nurse. I saw her memories of interacting with the children. They trusted her. Her office was very pleasant and well ordered. Her days were full of loose baby teeth, stomach aches and runny noses, with the occasional high fever thrown in. She wanted the greater responsibility and challenge of a hospital environment. She imagined herself confronting cases of serious illness and injury and helping families during difficult moments.

She was also very attentive as Carlisle showed her around the hospital. The routine was not as familiar to her, and she asked several questions. She was very excited about the prospect of joining the staff. _This is just what I've been hoping for. I'll be able to use more of my training and learn new skills. It looks like they really do things right here. _Carlisle shook her hand and said she'd be hearing from the hospital in a few days. _See?_ he thought to me. _How am I supposed to decide?_

The last candidate was on his way. His anxiety was very loud. _Calm and competent_, he was telling himself. _As long as they don't look too closely at my references, I'll be fine_. What the hell did _that_ mean? My body was suddenly tense with anger. He thought he could fool Carlisle and take advantage of the staff and patients at Forks General Hospital? He even might have gotten away with it if Dr. Leonard were conducting the interview. Or if Carlisle had not asked me for a favor. I wanted to walk in, confront him, and throw him out of the building. That was not the right way to handle it. But I wasn't sure what was best.

I heard Carlisle greet the young man, John Petrowski, and invite him to describe his previous work experience. Petrowski was a good liar. He said truthfully that he had worked in a small hospital in Portland. But I saw the memories that accompanied his story. He had been an orderly, not a nurse. "That was my first job since earning my nursing degree," he told Carlisle. _He's buying it_, Petrowski congratulated himself. _All my paperwork looks great. My buddies are in place to take any calls. I'm golden._ I understood his plan. He had offered fake credentials and supplied false numbers on his resume. If the hospital called his former employer or the school from which he had supposedly graduated, his friends would answer and give the necessary assurances. I smiled. I knew how to stop him now.

Through their minds, I could hear the phone on my father's desk ringing with my call. Carlisle was attempting to ignore it and carry on with the interview. _Answer it_, I urged him. "I'm sorry," he said to Petrowski, as if he had heard my thought. "It's my son, calling on my private line. I really need to take this. I'm sure it won't be long. If you wouldn't mind waiting just outside? I apologize for the interruption." Petrowski went willingly. He was grateful for a break and only slightly puzzled that a man as young as Carlisle could have a son old enough to operate the telephone.

"Edward?"

"He's an imposter," I said bluntly.

"What?" Carlisle was astonished.

"He's not really a nurse. He forged his diploma."

"That's terrible!" my father exclaimed.

"Carlisle, we forge documents all the time."

"Well, yes. But that's different!"

"I know. I was just teasing you. He put fake contact numbers on his resume. I think you can expose him by threatening to call the Portland hospital or the nursing school and looking up the numbers yourself." I could hear that he concurred with my plan. It neatly solved the problem without tipping our hands. Carlisle was imagining the harm an untrained or possibly even malicious person could do if accepted as a nurse.

"Edward—" He wanted to express his gratitude.

"You can thank me later." I ended the call. I relaxed and prepared myself to enjoy Petrowski's unmasking. Carlisle was ushering him back into the office.

"I hope nothing's wrong regarding your son," Petrowski said insincerely. _When they're preoccupied about something, they're not as curious._

"No, no," Carlisle assured him genially. "Let's get back to our interview. First I'd like to speak to your former supervisor. Then I'll have a better idea of what questions to ask you."

"Of course." Petrowski was confident in his deception. "I have the numbers right here."

"That's not necessary. I can find them myself." Carlisle turned to the computer and called up the hospital website. Petrowski's mind was in turmoil. I smiled with satisfaction.

"Dr. Cullen," he said. _Maybe I can get out of this._

"Yes?" Carlisle turned back with a warm smile. My father was so smooth.

"I, I, I think I'd like to withdraw my application to this hospital," he stammered.

"Really? That's a shame. But I'd still like to talk to the director of your nursing school. It's a good chance to network. Perhaps he or she can recommend that other graduates consider working here."

_Damn! I'm busted! _"Look, Dr. Cullen, I guess I'd better tell you something." Carlisle expressed all the appropriate reactions to his confession. "So, what are you going to do?" Petrowski concluded, looking up warily.

"I think I will escort you to the triage room where we have camera equipment. They'll take your picture, and I will circulate it to the personnel office of every hospital and clinic west of the Mississippi. And throughout Canada," he added. "What do you think of that plan?"

Petrowksi hung his head. _He's got me pinned_.

"If you have any objection, I have another number I can call. The chief of police."

I grinned. Chief Swan was widely respected as an excellent law enforcement officer.

"OK," Petrowski mumbled. "I'm sorry."

My work was done. I slid a CD into the player and waited for Carlisle to appear. He joined me in the car ten minutes later.

"You know how important that was," he said. The pride in his voice was echoed in his thoughts.

"I'm glad I caught him, but don't make me out to be a hero, please. I can't help what I do."

"Edward," he said, shaking his head fondly. "Most people, if they had your ability, would use it for personal gain. You use it to benefit others, and you don't even want credit for it."

"I could say the same about you," I smiled.

"Never mind me. What did you think of the first two candidates?" I knew that if I tried to praise him the way he wanted to praise me, he'd change the subject. Equally pleased with my father's modest nature and my successful manipulation of him, I would have smiled even more broadly, but I controlled myself. "No, wait. We agreed that if I could make the decision on my own, I wouldn't ask for your insights. On paper, Jessica is clearly the stronger candidate. She has excellent hospital experience, and she seemed very interested in the job."

"Carlisle," I corrected him patiently. "She was very interested in _you_."

"Me? What about the nursing position?"

I couldn't resist the straight line. "I'm sorry to have to tell you that she had other kinds of positions on her mind." He dropped his head into his hands.

"I told you I'm no good at this. And Melissa?" His voice was apprehensive.

"She has good training?"

"Yes, Dr. Leonard screened all the applicants before choosing these to interview."

"Do you think she can transition from school nursing to the hospital?"

"Yes. There's a bit of a learning curve at first, but if she's really eager to improve her skills, she'll catch on quickly."

"Then you've made your decision."

"So she _wasn't_ interested in me?" Carlisle was thinking back to their time together, concerned that he'd done something to put her off. He needed a good bedside manner to be an effective physician.

I couldn't help laughing. "Do you want her to be?"

"No, of course not. I just—"

I relieved him of his anxiety. "Naturally, she noticed you, but she also noticed your wedding ring, and she really cares about being a good nurse and having a chance to work here. She decided to, how shall we put it, overrule her instincts."

He laughed, sounding at ease for the first time that day. "I can respect that."

* * *

_Author's' Note: I wrote this story months ago, after I was helping Juliejuliejulie with her first story, In the Hospital. We were discussing how the nurses in Phoenix would react to Edward. (In fact, in Twilight the nurse is rather brusque to him.) And I thought, if there is a nurse who's interested in men and yet who can ignore Edward, she must be really good at her job! Then I thought about how to make that idea into a story, and this is what I came up with. Carlisle does appear less self-assured than we usually see him. But we always see him through Edward's or Bella's eyes and they have vast respect for him. I think, like he says, we all have our strengths and weaknesses and everyone needs a little backup sometimes. I would like to write more stories about Edward and the family in Forks before Bella moved in, which is why I'm leaving the story open and the title is not specific to this tale. _

_Please review! Reviews are the cream in my coffee._


	2. Chapter 2

"You've got to help me!" Rosalie demanded.

"Got to?" I scoffed. "There are very few things I've got to do, and helping you?" I shook my head. "Sorry. Not on the list."

Rosalie hissed. _Ugh! Why does he have to be this way?_

_I told her to let me handle it._ "Baby, how 'bout if you let me have a little chat with Edward?" She spun on her heel and stalked out of the room. I smirked. It was almost too easy to irritate Rosalie. _The two people I love most in the world, and they can't stop bickering. What did I do to deserve this?_ That was the downside of bothering Rosalie. Aggravating Emmett wasn't part of my agenda, but he often got caught in the crossfire. Should I apologize? I looked at him guiltily, but he was watching Rosalie sashay across the lawn. _My wife is a goddess. If my biggest complaint is her quarrels with Edward, I've got it pretty good._

He turned towards me. "Edward, I need to ask you for a favor."

I sighed. I couldn't refuse Emmett out of hand. "Let's hear it."

"What did Rosalie tell you?"

"She said she wants me to listen to Jessica Stanley's thoughts." The girl was in some of my classes and like so many other humans beguiled by our deceptively alluring appearance, she had taken a special interest in me. Her fantasies were as distasteful to me as they were impossible, since the activities she liked to imagine would lead directly to a quick and probably painful death for her.

"Right." _I don't blame him for being reluctant, but I have to ask._

"Emmett, please, no. I don't like listening to those children. I spend all day trying to tune them out. You cannot imagine how tedious it is. And Jessica, of all people!"

"I know. It would mean a lot to me." _It means a lot to Rosalie, but when she's not happy, nothing's right._

"Would you like to fill me in on the purpose of this exercise? Or am I just your listening device?"

"Of course! I'm sorry. I thought Rose had explained." He took a deep breath. "First, let me say that I realize this is not a matter of life and death. It's just something Rose wants. If Jasper were here, he could probably take care of it, but he's not. So if you could see your way clear to helping out, that would be great." I nodded for him to continue. "You know Ms. Valentine is taking two of her classes on a field trip to Seattle on Monday. For some reason she is giving us assigned seats on the bus. But Rosalie wants to sit with me."

"So? Ask the teacher."

"She did, but no dice. Said all the kids would be coming to her if she granted Rosalie's request. But she agreed that students could trade seats if they wanted to."

"And you've been assigned to sit next to Jessica?"

"Exactly. Rosalie asked her to switch, but Jessica refused. She said she prefers to sit near the front of the bus where she's been assigned. But Rosalie thinks she'd do it if she got something out of the deal."

"_Something_," I repeated with emphasis. "Such as?"

"Well, we all know Jessica would crawl to Seattle over broken glass if you'd take her on a date. But," he added quickly. "I would never ask you to do that. That's why Rosalie wants you to listen to Jessica's thoughts. You can find out something else she wants and then we can offer it to her." He was imagining Rosalie's satisfaction if he could arrange the trip to her wishes. They'd do anything to please each other.

Our house was overflowing with unselfish love. My brothers and sisters and parents seemed to be constantly competing to see who could be more generous, thoughtful, kind, romantic, understanding to his or her partner, and each one believed he or she was married to the winner. I heard it all the time. _I wonder if Jasper would like... Esme is going to be so happy when I tell her… We should go back to that place Rose loved… I know just what to do for Alice… I can't wait until Em gets back, so I can… Carlisle works so hard. I'm going to suggest…_ I was a constant spectator, on the sidelines, left out of the game. Nobody looked to me for particular attention, and nobody showered me with special affection. Only now I was being called in to assist. It was tempting to decline. Let them sit apart to Seattle and back. It wouldn't be the end of the world. I did it every day. But this was my brother, my sister, my family. They did all they could for me. It wasn't their fault I was the odd man out. I'd do anything I could for any of them.

"Emmett, I can listen but that doesn't mean I'll hear anything useful."

_Awesome! _"No problem. We understand. It would be fantastic if you would just try. You don't need to talk to her. Just give me the information and I'll do the talking."

* * *

The good news was that Jessica was not fixated on me at the moment. The bad news was that she was using the downtime in homeroom to plan what to wear on the field trip. She mentally reviewed what had to be every item in her wardrobe, even things that struck me as completely inappropriate for the season and the occasion. Maybe Rosalie could offer her a fashion consultation with Alice? But I knew she didn't like or trust my sisters. She was jealous of their extraordinary beauty and of the devotion my brothers showed them, even though they tried to be discreet on school grounds.

Jessica's thoughts turned to another classmate, Mike Newton. She seemed fascinated by the way his head was bobbing to the music he listened to. Sound was leaking out of his headphones. She identified the song and sighed, remembering that the band had performed in Portland. Mike had bragged to everyone about his secret, illegal recording of the concert. At Jessica's request, he had agreed to burn her a copy, but he'd forgotten. _Can I ask again? I don't want to get on his nerves. I don't want to be a pest. But I'd love to hear that concert! And then I could discuss it with him…_

* * *

Emmett and I had Spanish together during first period. _Any luck?_ He looked at me hopefully.

"I did discover something she wants." The gratitude and happy anticipation filling his mind stopped abruptly when I shook my head. "It's not something we can give her. Mike Newton promised her a copy of the bootleg concert recording he made, and he hasn't followed through. She wants the music."

_Hmmm. Does that help us?_

"That's all I got." I paused and reminded myself how much I loved and needed my family. "I'll keep trying."

He frowned. _Maybe we can get the CD for her. I bet she'd trade the seat for that. Can you…_ He switched to speech. "This is a lot to ask, but how about if you listen to Newton? If there's something he wants, we can give it to him in exchange for his making the CD for Jessica. What do you think?" Newton's thoughts were certainly no worse than Jessica's. He was equally boring but essentially harmless. I nodded. _Edward, you are the best. _

"I'm going to try to pick him up now. Warn me if I need to pay attention here."

Newton should be in study hall. He generally left his homework undone until his free period at the start of the day. I'd often heard him during homeroom complaining about the assignments he was about to tackle. And he sometimes ran out of time to finish. In the classes we shared later in the day, I'd often seen him turn in incomplete work and receive it back, marked up with red ink. It was easy to pick out the thoughts of the teachers among the childish babble that filled the building. Mr. Gibson was monitoring study hall, but my target wasn't there.

I kept my focus on the teacher until finally I saw Newton enter the room and take a seat. His hair and shirt were damp. Why had he been outside? I quickly tuned into his thoughts. _What a waste of time. I thought I brought all my stuff from the car. I just spent ten minutes hiking out there and back. If only I didn't have to park so damn far from the entrance. How does Beth Holland always get the prime parking space? Everyone leaves that space open for her. Just because she's a senior and the captain of the basketball team! What problems were we supposed to do, anyway? _

I glanced at Emmett. Was this a dead end or just another fork in the road? Were we going to pull this off? I still thought Rosalie's goal was unimportant, but I was starting to become invested in the chase.

_That was quick. Did you hear something useful?_

I spoke quickly and very quietly, so that only Emmett could hear. "You tell me. He wants Beth Holland's usual parking space."

_A parking space? _Emmett was incredulous. _Why can't they just dream about an iPod or a leather jacket? Something we could buy! _

"You could offer to pay Beth for the parking space."

_Do you think she'd go for that? Uh, Edward…._

I held up my hand to forestall his request. "Why don't I listen to her for a little while and see if I come up with anything?" A huge grin appeared on my brother's face. _I owe you big for this!_ "In for a penny, in for a pound, right?"

Beth Holland and I rarely crossed paths, but of course, I knew every student in the school. I found her in her own Spanish class. Her mind was on the poems of Pablo Neruda. That wasn't going to do us any good. _Us_, I noted ruefully. Apparently I had adopted Rose and Emmett's ridiculous quest as my own. At least I wasn't listening to Jessica anymore. I spent the rest of the period with my mind half in my own classroom, playing the part of a model student, and half in Beth's, monitoring her thoughts, but she maintained her focus on the topic of the lecture. Beth gathered her things a few moments before the period ended. She intended to walk to her next class with Abby Burke.

"_Hi, Abby."_

"_Hi."_

"_You remember about our bake sale, right?" I love, love, love her lemon squares._

"_Yes, I'm going to make the lemon squares for you. I already have all the ingredients."_

"_You know, you could just give me the recipe, and then I wouldn't have to keep asking you. I could make them myself, any time I want." Which would be every week, because they're so good. _Now this had potential.

"_Maybe someday." _Abby smiled. "_Thanks for reminding me."_

"Paydirt!" I reported to Emmett as we headed to separate rooms for the next period. _Yeah? _He looked very hopeful. "In a manner of speaking," I clarified. "Beth wants Abby Burke's secret recipe for lemon squares." _Ugh. _I nodded in agreement with his disgust at the thought of human food. "Abby's in my next class. I'll see what I can find out."

I tuned into Abby as soon as I slid into my seat. Ms. Marcell was distributing instructions for research projects. We were expected to work in pairs. _Erin is going to expect me to work with her, like always. _Abby was thinking about her best friend. _I love her, but she's not very organized. She always procrastinates, and then I have to nag or do it myself or we have to scramble. I wish I could work with a good student for once._ She gazed around the room. _Edward Cullen, for example. _I could see that she was looking at me, but I was always careful not to react. _He always knows the answers. But I can't ask him. He might say no, for one, and Erin would be furious if I invited someone else to be my partner. Of course, if _he_ asked _me_, I could say yes. She'd think I was crazy if I didn't!_

Problem solved! I'd ask Abby to work with me on the project. She'd give the recipe to Beth, Beth would surrender the parking space to Newton, Newton would make the CD for Jessica, and Jessica would relinquish the seat to Rosalie. It was more complicated than the house that Jack built. Well, if it made my brother and sister happy, it would be worth it. I did need a partner anyway. Unfortunately, over the past decades, group projects had become far more common in the American education system. For me, it was like helping a toddler put together a puzzle. Let them contribute as much as they could, and guide them without revealing how vastly superior my skills were. But Abby was a good student. Maybe she'd be more like a kindergartener than a toddler.

I spoke as she made her way past me out of the classroom. "Abby?" She froze and darted a glance at me, before quickly looking away. _Does he mean me? Did he say "Abby"? _"Abby," I tried again, injecting more warmth into my voice. "Do you have a partner for the assignment?"

_Erin, as usual. _Her thoughts were resigned. _Unless… Is he asking me? _"Um," she said.

"Would you like to work together?" I spelled it out for her. "If you're not already committed, of course."

"No!" she said eagerly. _This is going to be great! I can't believe it!_

"No?" I prompted her.

_Did I say _no_ to him? _Flustered, she actually grabbed my arm, but she let immediately go. "I mean, no, I'm not committed! I would love to work with you!" _I am such an idiot._ She took a deep breath. _I am going to be a good partner and not make him sorry he asked. _

"Great." I smiled at her. "Can we meet in the library after school today to discuss topics?"

"Sure!" _Erin is going to flip when I tell her. I'd better come up with some good ideas._

"Abby, I wonder if you could do something for me."

"Of course!" She had no idea what I could have in mind.

"Well, I heard that Beth Holland wants your special recipe," I began. Her expression immediately changed from pleasant anticipation to a thoughtful frown. _Oh. Does he like Beth?_

"You want me to give her my recipe for lemon squares?" _How does he know? Why does he care? He must be interested in her. And she's a senior! _

"Would you, please? My brother wants to ask a favor of her, and I thought she'd be more likely to agree if I could get her something she wants."

_His brother? A favor? I wonder what that could be about. Abby, get a grip and answer him! _"OK, sure. No problem. I'd be glad to." _I was going to give it to her at graduation anyway. _

"Thank you. That's very nice of you." _Mmm, he's wearing some sort of cologne... _"We'd better get to class," I reminded her. _Oh! Right! Class! _"I'll see you later at the library."

"See you, Edward!"

* * *

I reported my findings to Emmett when we met in the cafeteria. When he joined us fifteen minutes later, both his thoughts and his expression were highly satisfied. "Rosalie," he said grandly. "Would you do me the honor of occupying the seat next to mine for the trip to Seattle on Monday?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I said," he confirmed. "I fixed everything, with a little help from Edward." He grinned. "A _lot_ of help from Edward."

"Jessica will switch seats with me? How did you pull that off?"

"Edward found out she wanted something from Mike Newton. So we turned our attention to him. We learned he wanted something that Beth Holland had, Beth wanted something from Abby Burke, and Edward agreed to make Abby's wish come true."

"You did all that?" Rosalie was delighted. Emmett didn't answer. _Edward. She means you._ I looked up at Rosalie and shrugged. "You're my favorite little brother," she crooned.

"Please. I was born first, and I joined our family first."

"Yes, you've mentioned that before, and it doesn't change the fact that I'm older and you're the baby of the family."

"This is what I get for thanks?"

"What would you like?" Emmett asked. Both of them were contemplating me with gratitude, wondering if there was a way to show it. I was like a pinch hitter, brought in to turn the game around. Overlooked from time to time, but still a valued part of the team.

"Nothing." I smiled at their happy expressions. "I'm glad I could help you out."

* * *

Because the bus left early and returned late, Em and Rose drove to school on their own. When they got back to the house, Rosalie headed upstairs to chat with Alice, and Emmett came over to me at the piano.

"How was the field trip?"

_Wonder how he's going to take the news._ I frowned. "Edward, you are not going to believe this," he began.

"What? Tell me!"

"Jessica was sick today. She didn't show up for the bus. Ms. Valentine told Rose to go ahead and sit with me." _She insisted on the window seat, of course. _He reflected fondly on their contented companionship on the drive.

"So we didn't have to go through all that," I said with a rueful smile.

"Well, we had no way of knowing. Newton already made the CD for Jessica anyway."

"And Beth told everyone to let him park in her space, and Abby gave Beth her recipe, and I'm doing the history assignment with Abby."

"You made a lot of people happy even if it didn't turn out to be essential." _I knew he'd be a good sport about it._

"I don't remember it ever being _essential_," I reminded him, raising one eyebrow.

"Hey, if Rosalie wants something, I've got to do my best to make it happen."

"I know." I smiled at my brother.

"You will, Edward. You'll find someone, or she'll find you." _He deserves to be happy like we are._

"I guess stranger things have happened. After all, Rose found someone to put up with her."

"Very funny," he said, before returning to a serious tone. "You'll find her, and I'll be here for anything you need."

"I appreciate that. But don't hold your breath."

* * *

_Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this little caper. Please let me know what you think! One of these days I intend to write another chapter, in which Edward is prevailed upon to use his gift to help Alice and Jasper. _


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Thanks to my faihful beta readers, Juliejuliejulie and Edward-Bella-Harry-Ginny!_

_

* * *

Edward!_ Alice's "voice" attracted my attention. My siblings generally tried not to distract me when we were in separate classrooms. Well, Alice and Jasper made an effort because they knew it bothered me. Rosalie left me alone because she had nothing particular to say to me. Emmett was another matter. His favorite trick lately was to sing in his head— the more annoying the song, the better. I felt it was best not to tell him that sometimes even the worst song was preferable to the drivel coming from my teachers. Sophomore year was so elementary. But Alice sounded absolutely panicked. Automatically I became very still and focused, leaving only a small fraction of my attention for the room in which I sat. It was ridiculous of me to complain about the tedium when the alternative was stress and danger. _Edward, did you catch that? _She knew I couldn't answer. She couldn't even be positive I was listening to her. She reviewed the vision for my benefit, and my level of tension spiked even further.

Her vision was Jasper… _with red eyes_.

Where? When? Who? My mind immediately lit up with questions. I didn't have to ask why. We all knew Jasper's struggle was exceptionally difficult. How certain was this future? How was it going to happen? It didn't matter. We had been warned. It was Alice's and my job to prevent the tragedy and keep our family safe—safe from the guilt and from the curiosity that might draw truly lethal attention to us. _We have to talk. Meet me at my locker… No! _She interrupted herself in aggravation. I saw, along with her, that the vice principal would notice us there and send us back to our classes. _In front of the girls' bathroom on the second floor. _We paused for a moment to see whether this strategy would work. _I'm on my way_, Alice assured me, as I raised my hand and requested permission to step out of class.

_I don't see anyone coming across us here, but just in case: I feel sick, you saw me and you're checking if I'm okay. _I nodded to acknowledge her story as I came around the corner to find her watching for me, leaning against the wall in the attitude of a person who wasn't feeling well. I put my hand on her shoulder, the image of the concerned brother. Under cover of these poses, we carried out a rapid conversation.

"Something must happen. We should leave before it does," I said. "As soon as possible." I was already thinking about what excuse we might give for a sudden departure in the middle of February. A job offer for Carlisle was the most plausible lie. It had worked before.

"No," she moaned. "I don't want Jasper to know about his slip. Please, don't tell anyone. Let's find out more. You and I will figure out who, where and when, and we'll prevent it, without his ever knowing."

"Alice!" I objected. It was an unconscionable risk to all concerned, particularly Jasper's future victim.

"Please, Edward. Just think about it." My brother's image dominated her mind. He looked feral.

"But all you can see is his eyes," I argued. "It's not enough information."

She made a supreme effort to look ahead and widen her focus beyond Jasper's face and the incontrovertible evidence of his actions blazing scarlet in his eyes. It took almost a minute of intense concentration on the vision, but she did catch another detail of the scene.

"It's not yet," she pointed out with relief. "There's no snow on the ground like today. We have time, a few days at least, probably more. It might not even be until spring. Please, please let's try to stop this ourselves. If we can't, then we'll think about our other options."

She hadn't convinced me, but I agreed that immediate action was not required. "We'd better get back to class. We'll talk more later. What are you going to tell Jasper? He'll know you're upset."

She took a deep breath. "I'll tell him I saw us leaving Forks. It's not even a lie. We will have to move on in a year or two at the most. People are already wondering, aren't they? Carlisle does _not_ look like he's in his thirties." She gave me a rueful smile as we headed back to where we were supposed to be.

* * *

Luckily, Emmett had challenged Jasper to a rock-climbing contest that evening, and Rosalie had vowed to best both of them. We continued the discussion in my room, with the stereo on to mask our conversation from Esme. Alice sat on the couch with her arms clasped tightly around her knees. She looked very tense. Her mind was full of love and worry for Jasper and concern for the impact on the rest of us.

"The best way to solve the problem is by moving," I declared. "And that would be fine with me. I've always thought it was risky to come back here. The Quileutes knew about us. They may have forgotten. Or they may have forgotten that they made an agreement not to tell."

"I don't mind leaving exactly. I just don't want Jasper to feel that he's failed again. He's made such great progress. It's been years. If he makes a mistake, he'll feel so terrible." Alice was remembering the last time Jasper killed a human. For months he'd been ashamed and bitterly furious with himself. "He'll want to run away. You know he sometimes feels like he doesn't belong with Carlisle and the rest of you. If he finds out or even guesses that he's the problem, he might insist that the two of us go, for a while at least. I can't have that."

I didn't want that either. I loved Emmett and I had to admit I was attached to Rosalie, but the three of us had made a rather awkward trio before Alice and Jasper showed up. At first I had been afraid that the addition of another perfectly matched pair to the household would only further emphasize my solitary state. In some ways, it did. But despite the way the two of them were locked together, they had time and attention to lavish on me. I felt Alice and Jasper needed me and understood me in ways the others didn't. Our gifts complemented each other. Jasper's experience of the world and Alice's exuberance had changed our family and enriched my life beyond measure. Of course I'd try to do as she asked, for my own sake as well as theirs.

"He must come across someone while hunting," I reasoned. "What if I go with you from now on? I can hear humans in the vicinity and help you restrain him if he does catch the scent."

"Jasper won't be too happy about that," she said quietly. "It's our private time."

"Alice, we're trying to avert a tragedy," I reminded her gently.

"I know," she sighed. "Yes, you should come along. It's the right thing to do. But I don't think this is the answer." She was usually so ebullient. I wasn't accustomed to seeing her with such a troubled expression. "The vision hasn't changed. Your accompanying us doesn't make the difference."

"Why would that be?" I pondered out loud. "One possibility is that Jasper attacks a human while we're hunting and my being there doesn't stop it. That could happen if we're not close enough or strong enough to hold him back."

"Or it's not while we're hunting," Alice said.

"But in that case, when? And how are we going to prevent it? We can't literally be at his side every moment."

"I don't know," she wailed. "I _hate_ not knowing. Jasper is about to be involved in something awful, and that's all I can see!" Her mind was full of the same alarming vision. "I need to be able to figure this out," she said with determination. "You are going to help me, aren't you, Edward?"

"Yes," I promised her. "I'll do everything I can."

But we had no brilliant ideas as to how to prevent what we couldn't predict. We sat together for many long minutes. Alice was too worried to be very creative.

"Alice, listen," I said finally. "Maybe we are going about this the wrong way."

"What do you mean?"

"We've been trying to figure out where and when Jasper slips up."

"Yes, Edward, that is what we've been doing," she replied with admirable patience.

"Let's try a different angle. Let's try to guess what happened today to give you the vision."

"How does that help? Maybe today someone decided to go for a hike this weekend that is going to put them in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Yes, if that's the case, it doesn't get us any further," I agreed. "What I mean is, there is an element of premeditation. If someone had an accident in front of Jasper, if, say, Lauren Mallory cut her finger in the cafeteria, he might attack."

"Lauren Mallory!" she scoffed. "She wouldn't be much of a loss."

I chuckled. "Granted. But you know Carlisle persuaded me long ago that it's wrong for us to harm humans no matter how dreadful they are. Anyway, my point is, something like that could happen, and it would be a random event. There would be no warning, and we probably couldn't stop him. It can't be anything like that because you've had a vision days in advance."

"I see what you're saying."

"You predicted it, so it's not completely unpredictable."

"So we need to think of what someone could have decided earlier today that is going to lead to Jasper's mistake." She sounded doubtful.

"Carlisle's home now," I told her. "Let's ask him if there's anything new at the hospital."

She frowned. "We agreed not to tell yet. It can't be anything at the hospital. We never go anywhere near there."

"Carlisle interacts with a lot more people than we do. We only come into contact with people at school. We'll just chat."

Alice dragged her feet heading down the stairs. "Be more cheerful," I muttered. "I thought you were a better actress than that." She glared at me—_I am a good actress and I don't need direction from you!—_ but she did put a bounce in her step.

"Carlisle!" she sang, skipping up to throw her arms around him.

"Hello, Alice," he smiled warmly at her. He nodded at me in greeting. "Edward."

"How was your day?" she inquired.

He sighed. "Two new cases of pneumonia. I hope they make it. And Chief Swan…" his voice trailed off. I saw the reason why in his thoughts. He was remembering the chief escorting a young woman, barely out of her teens, into the emergency room. Her face was slick with tears and she had a black eye.

"What is it?" Alice asked gently.

"I treated a patient who was assaulted by her partner," he said heavily. "We had to document her injuries carefully. There were older contusions and healed fractures." I saw the scans in his mind as he reflected on them, and I concurred with his diagnosis.

"Oh, Carlisle, I'm sorry," my sister cried.

"It happens," he said. "At least these days the police and the community are willing to do something about it. The chief said they're going to hold another self-defense workshop in the spring."

"It sounds like a tough day," I contributed.

He sighed. _I did what I could_, he reminded himself._ I'm home now, and I'm not going to dwell on work_. "Oh, by the way, the Red Cross is planning a blood drive in Port Angeles on the 19th next month."

Alice's eyes widened. _This must be it! _"We'll be sure to steer clear," she assured our father. "I'll tell the others." She was hugely relieved.

"Did they just decide to do this?" I asked.

He shook his head. "It's an annual event. I don't think I mentioned it before. Last year we already had plans that weekend to meet our cousins in British Columbia."

"Did they choose the date today?"

_Why is he so interested? _"No, I think it's always the third Saturday. How about you two, anything special happen today?"

But Alice was tugging on my hand. "Nope," she said. "Edward, let's go back upstairs and listen to the rest of that CD." _You were so right to talk to Carlisle! We did it!_ I shrugged in farewell to Carlisle as she dragged me away. Carlisle smiled at our sudden decampment. _None of us can resist Alice. _

"This might not be it," I cautioned her. "It doesn't seem like anything happened today to trigger the vision."

Ignoring me, Alice flew up the stairs and turned the stereo on, but when she turned back around, her mood had shifted again. _No! No, no, no! _The image of Jasper and his gleaming red eyes was as clear as ever.

"It's still happening," she said desperately.

"Maybe it's not enough for us to know about this. Jasper hasn't changed his course yet. Call him and tell him; maybe that will do the trick."

"That could be it," she said eagerly. "I was just hoping so much that our worries were over." I straightened my CDs while she quickly contacted her husband and extracted a promise from him that they would devote that entire weekend to perusing the shipment of out-of-print books that she told him would be arriving. "There," she announced. "He can't go near the blood drive, and he won't encounter anyone who…." She didn't complete the sentence, and her expression abruptly switched from satisfied to crestfallen. The vision was still flashing unchanged in her mind.

* * *

Snow still covered the landscape as we headed to school in the morning. Alice was jittery, but the others simply saw her natural high energy. Before Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie returned home (with Rosalie the victor), we had discussed the matter thoroughly. We were certain there were at least a few days until the incident. It was disappointing that the blood drive wasn't the key to Jasper's downfall, but we weren't ready to admit defeat. We pledged to keep our eyes and ears open and our thinking caps on. We'd take another crack at solving the puzzle after school. And, of course, Alice had not neglected to place an order for rare books— a collection on Roman architecture and city planning, one of the many interests she and Jasper shared— to be delivered around the middle of next month.

Alice and Jasper shared a long look before parting to make their separate ways to homeroom. To give them some privacy, I turned my attention to the noise streaming from the building. In addition to the noise of footsteps, greetings and lockers slamming, it was an absolute cacophony of the thoughts of hungry, sleepy, grumpy, bored and boring children. The only topics ever on their minds were lunch, television and groping each other. Here and there the teachers were getting ready to face the day. _We'll see how they do on the quiz… The unit on the quadratic equation is always fun... I shouldn't have had so many drinks last night…_

"Almost time for the bell," I reminded the others. Alice finally broke eye contact with her husband and began walking with me. _He doesn't suspect anything, does he?_

"No," I reassured her. We took our seats with a few moments to spare. _Alice Cullen could be cute if she didn't have that weird hair sticking up all over the place. _Ugh. I pinched the bridge of my nose. I did not want to listen to Mike Newton. _Mmmm, Edward looks so yummy in that white shirt. _Or Jessica Stanley! _Yummy?_ It was no metaphor to me. If she ever got as close as she fantasized, I probably would find her blood very tasty. I really needed to focus on something else. But Alice's mind contained only worry and that horrifying image. I tried to pick out the teachers again, to drown out the thoughts from the children surrounding me.

_Why am I always the one brewing coffee for the office… I'll need to order applicators and lancets... I hope they've done the reading this time... _Lancets? That wasn't the school nurse. It was a man's voice, not immediately familiar. It must be a teacher I hadn't had yet. _It'll be a neat little project, connecting lab work to the real world. And maybe even doing some good at the same time. I'm glad I came across this lesson plan yesterday. _It was Mr. Banner, Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper's biology teacher. He was reading over the instructions for an exercise he was planning for the junior class.

"Alice," I hissed, very quietly. She looked at me anxiously, braced for trouble. I nodded at her with a hopeful expression. _You found something out? _I nodded again and rapidly wrote her a note.

_Yesterday, Jasper's biology teacher decided to have the kids draw their own blood and type it. I'll find out which day and Jasper can stay home, or go home sick if I only get a few hours warning._

She read my words in a flash, but she read them again to be sure she understood. _Edward, I think this is it! _

I looked at her intently, and she knew what I was asking. We could communicate so well. _Have we done enough to change the future? _She concentrated, trying to get a glimpse of Jasper. We saw his face light up with a smile just a few hours from now, as we approached the table where he sat in the cafeteria. We saw him avidly flipping through the pages of one of the texts Alice had ordered. The vision of him as a killer was gone. _Edward, you did it! _She was overjoyed.

It was time to head to our first classes, but Alice pulled me aside, out of the flow of students. Her voice was too quiet for anyone else to catch, and her laughter was giddy with relief. "Remember you said Jasper would attack if Lauren Mallory cut herself in front of him!"

"Well, it won't be Lauren. She's in our class, not his. But yes, they are all going to slice their fingers open." It was bizarre, ironic, downright hilarious that humans who were in the peculiar and precarious position of living unharmed amidst vampires would seem to go to special lengths to tempt us.

She shuddered. "Fresh, flowing blood. I don't know how Carlisle can stand it."

"Me neither. I know he says it's easy if you have something interesting and important to focus on, like the patient's condition, but that doesn't explain anything. Nothing is more interesting than blood."

"Nothing," she agreed. "Edward, I don't know what to say. Thank you. What if Jasper had made us leave the family?"

"You don't need to thank me. I don't want that to happen any more than you do. I did it for myself."

"Or we would all have to go," she continued, pursuing the pointless hypothetical.

"Like I said, that's no big deal."

"Silly!" she scolded. "Forks is a very nice place to live. Good things are going to happen for us here." _For you, my helpful, brilliant brother. _

I grinned. My sister was certainly an optimist. "And you know this how? I know you aren't seeing it."

"I don't have to see it to believe it," she replied pertly. _Everyone should be as happy as I am right now._ "It's karma."

* * *

_Author's Note: Thank goodness Edward figured it out and they didn't have to leave Forks! I'd love to know if you enjoyed my story. _


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